Mumbai, the financial capital of India, joins metropolises such as Johannesburg, Sao Paolo, Seoul and Los Angeles, as well as smaller communities, as the 1000th Member of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, a global association of local governments committed to sustainability

Nanjing, China, November 6, 2008 - Mumbai, the financial capital of India, joins metropolises such as Johannesburg, Sao Paolo, Seoul and Los Angeles, as well as smaller communities, as the 1000th Member of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, a global association of local governments committed to sustainability.

ICLEI Secretary General, Mr. Konrad Otto-Zimmermann and the South Asia Director Mr. Emani Kumar made the announcement in Nanjing (China) at the World Urban Forum organized by UN-HABITAT.

"We are proud that Mumbai joins ICLEI," declared Otto-Zimmermann. "Its population is one of the largest in the world—larger in fact than 150 of the smaller UN Member-States respectively. We are engaging more and more Asian megacities in the global work on climate protection and sustainability."

With the addition of Mumbai, ICLEI's membership has doubled since 2007—a remarkable rate of growth. ICLEI now represents over 420 million people worldwide, with 100 of its members boasting populations of one million or more. A sizeable portion of that growth occurred under the leadership of USA office, which will welcome the 500th US Member this month.

Mumbai is the 15th Indian city to join ICLEI, along with metropolises like Delhi and Hyderabad. "Indian cities are in rapid development. They are looking for more efficient and sustainable ways to grow," said Kumar.

Shubha Raul, the Mayor of Mumbai, is "extremely glad to know that ICLEI has announced Mumbai as its 1000th Member." In turn, Jairaj Phatak, the Municipal Commissioner, expressed that "the exchange of ideas on urban management between valued ICLEI Members and Mumbai will help improve city-to-city cooperation."

The United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT) praised ICLEI and its development, with Rafael Tuts, Chief of the Urban Environmental Planning Branch, stating: "Receiving Mumbai as its 1000th Member ICLEI clearly shows that the global sustainability agenda is gaining traction in Asia. We look forward to our collaboration with ICLEI and its effective network."

ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments as well as national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development. ICLEI works with its stakeholders through international performance-based, results-oriented campaigns and programs.

ICLEI believes that locally designed initiatives can provide an effective and cost-efficient way to achieve local, national, and global sustainability objectives. It provides technical consulting, training, and information services to build capacity, share knowledge, and support local governments in the implementation of sustainable development at the grassroots level,

Founded in 1991, ICLEI has grown to become the largest international association of local governments dedicated to sustainable development. It has more than 150 staff in 13 offices on all continents. ICLEI has developed successful campaigns such as "Local Agenda 21" and the Cities for Climate Protection initiative. ICLEI officially represents local governments to various United Nations organizations. For more information, visit www.iclei.org

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